Thinking of going out of country?

[sbeach78]

I have been offered a free cruise for 5 days along the coast of Mexico. Being immune suppressed I am not sure if I should go or not..Doctors said not to but didn't give me any good reasons. Just wondered what everyone here thought.

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[Pete]

I agree with your doc. Cruise ships (IMHO) are floating Petri dishes with questionable docs aboard. Although many cruise lines practice strong sanitation, there seems to be frequent outbreaks of norovirus. This wouldn't be fun for someone whose health is"normal". Could be dicey for a Weggie.

[renidrag]

I would not go.
Dale

[vdub]

with questionable docs aboard

Totally, disagree with that, Pete. One of the best doctors I have ever had the pleasure of meeting on a professional basis was the one on our 10-day cruise in Tahiti.

On the third day of the cruise, I went into an adrenal crisis (for unknown reasons). I always carry injectable drugs with me just in case of that event and we used them. The doctor was fabulous! She injected me with a bunch of my solucortef, started rehydrating me and made, what I consider the proper decision, to air-evac me to the hospital in Tahiti. I was going in out of conciousness, but she stayed with me right up until the airplane left for Papaetee and then she made numerous calls to follow-up while I was in the hospital. Once the adrenal crisis was over, I flew back and caught the ship at another island and continued our cruise. The cruise doctor is the 2nd best I have ever known -- my current endo still holds first place. I wouldn't have received any better care in any other place in the world.

As far as going on a cruise. Yes, I (that is me, not you) would and do, but not to Mexico. The issue is the availability of good western medicine. You need to pick your trips carefully and be mindful of what could potentially happen and be prepared. That having been said, only you and your doctor can answer the question you are asking. Don't take the advise of anyone here -- do what your doc suggests.

As an aside, I have never let the "immune suppressed" part of my disease get in the way of living. Short of having all my shots up to speed (required by most countries), I don't do anything special; no mask, no gloves, no hand sanitizers, etc, etc. I do try to avoid nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and now disneyland, but everything else is fair game. Last year I went on a cruise to Alaska with a flight back to the US through Canada and I made two trips to the UK and Ireland, one in the spring and one in the fall. And, then the Tahiti trip.

Its hard to say why I went into an adrenal crisis while in the south pacific, but it certainly wasn't an immune suppression issues. Current theory is stress and dehydration, but we'll never know. You can look up adrenal crisis (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000357.htm)-- not fun and quite serious.

BTW, the reason you always have to taper off of prednisone is so you don't go into an adrenal crisis. When on pred, your adrenal gland tends to quit making cortisol because the body has a good supply from the pred. Pred (and the other steroids like hydrocortisone or dex) is a cortisol substitute and needs to be tapered off slowly so the adrenal gland will wake up and start doing its job. I have an adrenal gland, but it doesn't work anymore because my pituitary was removed. The pit controls the endocrine system.

[mishb]

I know many people with WG that have gone on cruises.

5 days isn't so bad. I personally wouldn't do it but only because I don't like the thought of being stuck on a ship for however many days.......and then there is the water :sad:

If everything is under control, your meds are working etc, then I think it would be okay to go

[Thinker]

I would follow the advice of your doctor. Being immunosuppressed is not the only medical issue any of us deal with and only your doctor knows your entire medical status and history. Most of us see more than one doctor and if you ask the same question of all of them and they all give you the same answer its a good bet its the right one. How long it has been since your diagnosis may also be another factor. The first year after diagnosis seems to be a time when you are less medically stable, lots of medication changes and adjustments, sometimes complications. I don't know how long it has been since your diagnosis but your doctors may feel more comfortable after you have been in remission for awhile with no changes or problems. But again, your doctor would know you better than any of us. Maybe you could ask their reasons again and if its a possibility down the road.

[drz]

If you decide to go be sure to get some good medical trip insurance that would cover an medical evacuation back to States if needed. Generally most stops of the cruise ship would be near an airport that could get you back to USA in a few hours.

[vdub]

If you decide to go be sure to get some good medical trip insurance....
That's good advice. I didn't get trip insurance because my health insurance coverage is worldwide. However, I have to take the bills and submit a claim. The total cost of the incident was about $20,000, so until such time that my insurance company processes the bill and cuts a check, I'm floating a large loan. Its already been nearly 2 months and I don't think I'll see any money in my hand for another couple months.

[Debbie C]

If it were up to me, I would go.BUT that is me and I don't always do the right things. Everyone gave you good advice so the choice is yours but like vdub said you can't let wg run your life. And if you do go to Mexico ,DON'T drink the water or any ice cubes !!! That I know .

[sbeach78]

Well I believe I am gonna go, thanks all for the advice.

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[Debbie C]

Hope you have a great time. Stay safe and healthy !!!!! Take extra meds,you never know.

[drz]

Well I believe I am gonna go, thanks all for the advice.

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Some friends are going down for a few weeks to visit their sister who lives in Mexico year round and they describe the health care in their area as very good as many of the doctors and nurses trained in USA and speak very good American English too. These friends all have some serious health care issues but aren't worried about getting care there if they need it.

[mishb]

Excellent :hug3:

I'm sure everything will be fine.
Have a wonderful time and we hope to hear all about it